Sofia's POV
What the hell did I just hear him say?He seems to have paused, definitely waiting for my response but I was just too stunned to speak.Was he kidding right now?The caller continued speaking after my prolonged silence."Miss Sofia. Are you there? Can you hear me?"I cleaned my face with my hand and cleared my throat. "Sure. I'm Sofia Dante; the professional therapist on On-help. How may I be of help Mr... ? ""Good... I tried contacting you via your mail but it was invalid so I called the number on your profile" He spoke politely and calmly, and I couldn't help but smile and scratch the back of my head."My boss needs your therapy service. What do you say 6 pm today? I'll send a vehicle over to pick you up from the address on your profile. That's your current address, right?" He inquired.I stammered as I responded to him. "Sure... Y-yeah. You're right, that's my address"Did he say he'll send a vehicle over?He also talked about a boss.This person must be fvcking rich from the way he speaks and yet, I found it difficult to believe this was real."Okay then, Miss Sofia. 6 pm it is. I also noticed there's no price per session tag on your profile. I believe 20 will be okay by you?"I fvcking knew it. This was some sort of bullsh¡t orchestrated by psychotic heads who roam the application to cause havoc.Twenty dollars for a session? This was a joke and she understands now."Are you there?""20 dollars?" I said calmly yet annoyed that my hope was risen for a moment."No. 20 thousand dollars, Miss Sofia. We are paying you 20 thousand dollars for a session with the boss, he really needs it at the moment"My eyes almost fell out of their socket, my eyes blinked a thousand times in one second and my jaw remained dropped to welcome any passing fly that desired a nice warm home.This was definitely an imagination and not real."Are you there? If that's not enough, we'll double it. Forty thousand dollars per session, Sofia Dante. Would that be okay now?"I found my voice this time even though I was still recovering from shock. "Yeah. Totally. I'll be prepared""6 pm then" He hung up the call and that was when I managed to close my open mouth.I clenched the phone in my hands and shook my head, still not believing the things I just heard.Forty thousand dollars per session?Unbelievable!You're probably wondering what the tech girl has to do with therapy.That's right.I'm not exactly a therapist; nothing close to it.On-help was an online mobile platform, a marketplace for self-employed freelancers to connect with clients either physically or virtually and get paid per service they render.Four months earlier, I had decided to get hooked on the application and be self-employed in a particular tech job but failed to get any clients as my profile had zero credentials to prove I was capable of the job.To test out the mobile platform at first, I created a fake profile with another account to get used to the app's environment.The service I claimed I could offer on my profile was psychotherapy and I used my real number and address on it.Just for trial before creating my tech profile.Somehow, someone had found that fake profile of mine and believed I was a licensed therapist.Licensed? Anyone who believed that profile is real was clearly blind in both eyes.No credential on my profile or link to a licensing board to prove I was licensed to practice therapy.Zero reviews from clients to who I had offered service before.Nothing!The profile was clearly screaming scam.I pinched the roof of my nose and for a moment, decided to think towards the positive side.What If this was a miracle?I used to believe in miracles and religion when I was a child but I stopped believing after Papá's death.What if someone decided to give me a try or something like that?I tried to think of possible scenarios that could lead one to choose my service out of several certified therapists on the app who had thousands of reviews and whose profiles screamed 'licensed!'.If I, Sofia, was in my right senses, I would rethink this over and over again but I spent the previous night listening to a motivational speaker on Tiktok who mentioned nothing great is ever achieved without taking risk.This was a crazy risk but I'm damn crazy.I'm fvcking crazy.I moved home as quickly as possible and prepared myself to play the role of a certified therapist.Engaged myself with watching several therapy videos on YouTube and reading therapy books on G****e.I ran through the entire internet to grab anything that could help me and by 5 pm...I was now a psychotherapist certified by G****e and YouTube... The other sites only contributed a little so I'm not gonna give them credit.I used the one hour left to dress properly in my best outfit, hung a pair of glasses over my nose and boom, I waited outside.While waiting I had an actual rethink of the risk I was about to pull out and for a moment it wasn't worth it.I fvcking needed money right now but this could also be greed trying to dominate my mind.Why would someone rich seek a session with a therapist with no license and agree to pay forty thousand fvcking dollars?He could hire anyone else, a professional and not me.I, Sofia, was a bad choice for therapy.You take physiological advice from me and the chances of committing suicide the following day are pretty high."Your craziness is beginning to go off the handle.." I scolded and hit myself continuously on the head until I was satisfied with it.I would continue my job-seeking adventure by tomorrow and see what good comes out of it.No credential was needed to grab per-time jobs.At exactly 6 pm, I heard the noise of a vehicle outside and pulled the blinds carefully to see the beauty parked by the side of the road.A white Rolls-Royce Phantom whose front door immediately pushed open revealing the driver who stepped out in a black tuxedo and had dark shades on.I took my time to appreciate the look of the luxurious vehicle and wondered who this boss was exactly.Either way, I wasn't gonna embark on this trip anymore.I closed the blinds with my eyes shut, rested my head on the arm of the couch and a few minutes later my phone buzzed strongly.I could guess who the caller was already and it was confirmed when I picked up my device and then accepted the call."Miss Sofia, the assigned driver just arrived at your place"They must have waited for me already and I wasn't showing up."Um... I'm sorry Mr, I forgot I had another appointment around this time so I'm deeply sorry to disappoint you. Find someone else"'Find someone else' in quotes so he doesn't make an attempt to fix another session but he did not get the message."The driver would be waiting then. When you're done, he'll drive you over"My jaw dropped in shock and my eyes blinked in confusion.Why exactly is this man obsessed with an unlicensed therapist?The picture was becoming clear.I quickly unlocked my door and moved down the apartment's corridor while telling him, "I'm sorry Mr, I won't be able to attend to your boss anymore. Hire someone else on On-help. I'm just gonna have to tell your driver that, he shouldn't wait"I intended to meet with the assigned driver and apologize before asking him to leave, kindly, but the turn of events caught me off guard.The mysterious caller seems to turn away from the phone and spoke to some person in Italian.It was now I noticed he had the accent in his voice the entire time.Just like me, I look and speak like an American so no one can easily guess I'm Italian.And yes, I heard the message he just conveyed loud and clear as my head decoded to English."I told him it's suspicious picking the last on the list. We don't have time to arrange another therapist for the boss, Kidnap her for him by whatever means you can"I stopped instantly and electricity passed through my system like I'd been hit by a stun gun.My heart rate increased drastically and enough beads of sweat formed on my forehead.Kidnap? Who the fvck is this person exactly?I instantly cancelled my plan to meet with the driver and turned to run into my room but bumped into a huge figure who remained unmoved.'When did he get there? ' I ask myself and quickly apologized, "Sorry..."I made to move past him when his masculine voice sounded in the strangest way possible. "Sofia Dante, The boss doesn't take no for an answer"Realizing he was up to no good, I turned around to make for the entrance door but immediately it pushed open and the driver in a tuxedo stepped inside."Are you in a rush to go someone?" He asked and it dawned on me how much trouble I have gotten myself into.These people wanted to take me and the only thing I could do was try to scream.My loud voice was interrupted by a firm hand over my mouth and something sharp pierced into the side of my neck.I wasn't sure what was passed into my bloodstream but my screams became whispers, my bones weakened to the core and most importantly my vision started to become blur.The motherfvcker drugged me.Although I couldn't see properly again, my hearing still worked fine to hear the masculine voice behind me say. "We have the therapist now"Fvcking hell! I don't know why these people are obsessed with a fake therapist who can cause them to commit suicide but one thing lingered forever in my head.Who the hell is this psychotic boss they talk about?Clancy's POVThis is not the first time I survived a near-death experience and definitely not going to be the last. I alighted from the dirt bike in the garage with a briefcase in my possession and staggered away with pain coursing through my entire body. I might not fear death but still, I'm a human who feels and hears the whispers of death saying, 'You might not be so lucky next time, mortal man'My face was covered with the blood of those I'd stabbed to death that evening and my white long sleeve was soaked with my blood.I had a bullet wound on my shoulder and it was bleeding nonstop, weakening my body with each passing moment.I would have been able to withstand that pain but I had others coming from the bleeding slashes at my back.Tonight was rough, like every other night I decided to take on risky mafia tasks on my own.Call me stubborn but I spent all my life as the Underboss of the family who carried out dirty jobs while the boss relaxed and dished out instructions.I'm th
Sofia's POVI grumbled out of my sleep with a heavy headache at the back of my head.Could this exactly be termed as a deep sleep? Um...For a moment, my head was blank and void of memories but when I rubbed my sleepy eyes, they came running through like a herd of angry zombies.The caller. The therapy service. The driver. The macho.I was drugged... Okay... Wait a minute... It was more of... I was fvcking kidnapped.Whatever shit was passed into my system was strong as fvck and I couldn't fight until I passed out.By the way, where am I?It wasn't a cell like every fantasy book I read. Instead, I found myself sitting on a bouncy sofa in the luxurious living room of a building.I raised my head to see the crystal chandelier holding electric bulbs swinging graciously and the sight alone was satisfying to me. It looked expensive and I instantly concluded my kidnapper must be a rich person. The thought of the Rolls-Royce that was supposed to pick me up that evening supported my rich k
Sofia's POVFor a moment, I had forgotten the reason I was here or rather kidnapped.I just wanted to admire the cold look on his face for as long as I can and watch him stare back at me with those emerald-green eyes.The fact that he doesn't care if we had the same type of eyes hurts me deeply and even for once, I wanted him to say something about it.We had our seats on the opposite sides of the glass table and I was lost in my wild thoughts.I don't know what was going on with me but there could only be one answer.My heart was racing crazily for this random hot stranger and I pushed the blame on the loneliness I've experienced all these years.All by myself.But why now? I met with a couple of men during my job hunt that day and did not feel this insane emotion until now.I thought love at first sight is a fairy tale. A fvcking fiction to make a story look good but I was beginning to think the opposite.I just met this man and I'm turning into something else.'Wake up to reality,
Sofia's POVI was awakened from my sleep that morning by the bright sunlight piercing forcefully into my closed eyes and I couldn't help but grumble and stretch out my hands. Another morning of loneliness. I stumbled out of my bed and looked outside the open blinds to see the people roaming the street for the activity of the day. I yawned one last time and blinked my emerald-coloured eyes. It's been one week since I met with Mr Pompous and it's been almost impossible to erase him from my mind. Just when I think I'm free, his face and voice would come knocking at the door of my head. Asking to stay rent-free for all eternity. I want to forget him. I really want to but it's been impossible. I keep pushing the blame on the fact that I've been lonely for a very long time and a glimpse of connectedness sends my heart leaping and craving for more. That's right. I want more; I want to see his face one last time, his voice, I want that feeling that's void of loneliness.That feeling
I felt my head exploding for a moment. Mental explosion.Cold shivers run down my spine.I wasn't sure what was causing that reaction in me.It should be his request but maybe there was more to it.Mr Pompous' private therapist. What the fvck?He knew I wasn't certified. Maybe Dale doesn't.This is the last thing someone like me would expect and the thought of it alone caused my heart to race strongly."Sofia? Are you there?" Dale's voice questioned loudly and I sighed with my eyes shut, rethinking the offer he just dropped."No" I responded affirmatively and open my eyes with a heavy heart.Before hanging up the call, I added, "I'm Sorry, um... Pick someone better than me to do the job"As I dropped the phone on my bed, my heart pricked strongly and I noticed my breathing was beginning to rise.I was panicking because I just rejected an offer to be close to Mr Pompous.I was crazy to feel his presence again but another part of me felt it was wrong.Wrong to be obsessed with a strange
Clancy's POVI walked briskly into the building with a briefcase to hear Dale speaking to someone over the phone."I'll be in touch with you in an hour, Miss" He appeared to hang the call and turn to me with an indifferent look."You came earlier than I expected""It's just payment. Wayne does not play games"I left earlier to retrieve the remaining payment for the deal I had with The Kelvins days ago.They paid half to have a taste of our product first and then the pending half after confirmation of originality."Still you put yourself in a position of stress. You should assign a new Underboss, Sonia is most recommended but she does her original job flawlessly"I wasn't ready to have this talk Dale was about to start regarding my way of handling things.I prefer to handle them by myself especially now that I have rats who steal my products.I sure have men who I can trust with my life but this is the only way I get not to miss my adventurous days as the Underboss of the group.Being
Sofia's POV"Smoke cigarette, cancer in the chest like cardiac arrest..." I mumbled to Juice WRLD's 'Cigarettes' as I moved out of my apartment, dragging my suitcase behind carefully behind me.I turned to lock my door when I noticed my fat landlord moving towards my direction and the movement of his jaws tells me he was speaking to me."Excuse me..." I said to him and slowly removed the headset that restricted my hearing ability to narrowly him say, "You're leaving?""Temporarily"He nods calmly and I could see his eyes scrutinizing the suitcase beside me.'What do you want? Old man' I couldn't help but curse inside of me when he said, "I can lower your bills for the next few months. You've been here for years and have never defaulted in payment until now"Oh... That was when I recalled I haven't paid for rent for the past month because I was running out of the money my uncle had left for me.The old man didn't show up until now. Maybe he thinks I'm running away now.I made to speak
What?My ears were heavy for a moment and my jaw dropped in instant shock.What did I just hear him say to me?It didn't sound like a joke to me, more of a command that should be executed at that moment.I remained mute in that position until his voice sounded again,"Did Dale make the mistake of bringing an unprofessional slut like you?"Unprofessional slut? What the fvck was he talking about?I remained fixed and mute, trying to wrap my head around what he was talking about when I felt his hand suddenly pull me from behind to his direction." I said strip! "He cursed angrily but the moment my eyes met with his, his grip on me loosened and a crease formed on his forehead.He stared narrowly at me like I was a ghost and I couldn't stop myself from gulping in.His face suddenly switched from zero emotion to a surprised one which I read easily and then an amused form.A slight smirk seems to form at the end of his lips and he glared widely at me before saying, "I knew you had the potent